Review of ATLAS: THE STORY OF PA SALT by Lucinda Riley/Harry Whittaker

3 Stars

Because I invested countless hours listening to the first seven books of The Seven Sisters series, I decided to listen to this last one, the one that addresses the unanswered questions from the previous books. 

As the daughters of Pa Salt gather for a memorial for their father who died one year earlier, they finally learn the story of their enigmatic father.  They learn about his remarkable life, shaped by the help of many strangers, the love of Elle, and the threat of Kreeg Eszu.  Each daughter also learns how she came to be part of Pa Salt’s family. 

This book is not for those who have not read the previous books.  There are so many characters and intertwining storylines that someone not familiar with the daughters’ stories would be lost.  As is, even readers who have read all the books may find themselves struggling at times to remember who is who.

I listened to the book to learn if my suspicions and theories were correct, and there is certainly an effort to explain everything.  Unfortunately, like the previous books, the plot becomes predictable.  We know exactly where Atlas has to travel and whom he has to meet.  Some of the explanations, however, don’t ring true.  Kreeg’s motivation is especially weak, especially given what he knows about his mother’s actions.  This is a major problem since Kreeg is Atlas’s nemesis and responsible for Atlas’s travels.  The motivation for Atlas’s final plan – to protect his daughters – is likewise weak.

The book is plagued with the same weaknesses as the other books.  There are so many unrealistic events and coincidences.  A young boy manages to trek alone from Russia to France?  Atlas is supposedly such an intelligent man, yet he doesn’t notice the clues given to him about Elle’s disappearance?  Kreeg manages to find Atlas in different parts of Europe?  Zed makes a so-convenient appearance at Atlantis?    

And there are the other issues:  stilted dialogue that is anything but natural; the portrayal of so many too-good-to-be-true characters; the overly sentimental and too-perfect ending; and the endless, and very contrived, use of Greek mythology.  Kreeg Eszu (an anagram for Greek Zeus) has parents whose names were Kronos and Rhea – hardly Prussian names?!   Atlas’s parents are Lapetus and Clymene – in keeping with Greek mythology but certainly not likely names chosen by Swiss people.  Trying too hard to provide mythological parallels doesn’t work.

Like the other books, this one is overly lengthy.  I did like the backstories for some of the minor characters, but there is a great deal of needless repetition.  Well, the series is done, and I’m glad to put it to rest.